“Momma! Momma!” Tilly’s cries were rough with the sobs that wracked her body.

She wriggled in his arms, bending her whole body backward to try and reach her mother, small arms outstretched to their full extent. Melanie rose from the floor slowly, hampered by her belly and the pain of her fall and the strong kick to her back.

The man grabbed Tilly by the hair and yanked her back toward him.

“Stop that,” he thundered, spraying spit in her face, his fingers still entangled in her hair.